AFC East 2020 NFL Draft grades: Dolphins soar, Patriots perplex
Did the Dolphins make the most of their bounty of selections? Were the Patriots' picks off the mark? Dan Parr reveals the 2020 NFL Draft report card for AFC East teams.
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This was the Dolphins' draft to control. They entered it with the most picks in the league, including three first-rounders, and used the boatload of capital about as well as they could. As I mentioned earlier in this piece, I'm a fan of the risk they were willing to take with their first selection. Tagovailoa's potential was too great to pass up, even with the injury concerns. Jackson and Igbinoghene went earlier than many expected them to, but in those two players, Miami might have a future starting left tackle and a tough, competitive, physical nickel back -- you need to be good at those spots to win in today's NFL. We're not here to strongly dock the Fins for those decisions, even if a case can be made that they were reaches. The Igbinoghene pick foreshadowed the Dolphins' theme for Day 2 of the draft, as the master plan of adding tough, physical, powerful talent was fully revealed with the selections of Hunt, Davis and Jones. Big fan of the work they did on the defensive line on Day 3, landing a Senior Bowl standout (Strowbridge) and a potential steal in Weaver, who didn't allow below-average explosiveness to keep him from racking up 34 sacks over the past three seasons. Last but not least, Perry -- he of 2,017 rushing yards last season -- has a chance to earn a spot as a versatile contributor who can help on offense and special teams. Now, the merits of drafting a long snapper might be debatable, but all in all, a really nice haul here.
Fins: A-
Pats C-
BEST PICK in division: Tua
MOST SURPRISING PICK: Justin Rohrwasser, K, Marshall
BIGGEST SLEEPER: Malcolm Perry, RB, Navy